How to flush out a new hydraulic tank?

[Zeus1]

Hi all I just finished building my first home made log splitter in a different thread. My hydraulic tank is stainless. I ran a couple gallons of hydro fluid through the tank to "flush" it out, but I can still see some slag in the bottom of the tank. Anyone have any good recommendation's as to how to flush out as much as possible? I sure don't want all that crud going through any of the hydraulics. Thanks..

thanks

 

[Birdhunter1]

Drain it of fluid and suck out the big stuff that you see with a shop vac, tape a 3/4" rubber hose to the vac and you can really get in there.

 

[IceStationZebra]

Do what BH1 recommended first. Then flush it with something like diesel fuel. It has a much lower surface tension than oil and will help get that stuff out. I wouldn't recommend a solvent or gasoline unless you can get 99% of it out, otherwise you will contaminate your oil. Lastly, if you are still worried you could put a magnet in the bottom of the reservoir.

ISZ

 

[oldnslo]

Do what BH1 recommended first. Then flush it with something like diesel fuel. It has a much lower surface tension than oil and will help get that stuff out. I wouldn't recommend a solvent or gasoline unless you can get 99% of it out, otherwise you will contaminate your oil. Lastly, if you are still worried you could put a magnet in the bottom of the reservoir.

ISZ

Being the reservoir is stainless, would magnets help much? Would they stick to the reservoir or will they get pulled into the suction fitting and then possibly stick to them since they will probably be steel?

Roy

 

[J_J]

Magnets will stick to some grades of stainless.

 

[chad22]

Magnets will stick to some grades of stainless.

Wow. I never knew there was some stainless steel that stuck to magnets. Learn something new everyday.

I googled it and what I put in the quote is what I got from this website. The Truth about Stainless Steel - Because not all Stainless Steel is created equally

What you need to know is that there is magnetic (400) and non-magnetic (300) stainless steel.

Chad

 

[J_J]

I know this because I purchased what I thought was an 8 ft stainless steel sink and table , and after a while in the weather, there were rust spots all over it.

I then look up the property's of stainless steel and found out there are many grades of stainless.

So the magnet trick to check whether stainless or not, is not valid in all situations.

 

[Zeus1]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm just gonna take all the hoses loose, fill it half full of water and pull it around with my atv down a bumpy trail. Hope that will shake loose. Get back to the house, I'm gonna drain the tank, and wash it out again. I can dry it with the air compressor. Surely after a couple hours it will be dry, I can put to back together and fire that splitter up. I got probably a 1/2 cord of hickory that needs to be split before the termites take it over!

thanks

 

[IceStationZebra]

Yep, some types of SS are magnetic and others not. I don't know what SS welding wire is made from but I suspect that it is magnetic.

BTW - The non-magnetic SS material is a perfect choice for high pressure turbine flow meters.

ISZ

 

[J_J]

You do know you can have an input and out put filter, of say 10 to 25 microns.

Put a gage on both filters for when to change.